3 Surprising Qualities That Will Get You Hired

A willingness to argue can help you land a job. HBO/"Entourage" Most people know that qualities like intelligence, adaptability, integrity, and an ability to lead are all appealing to employers. But here are three more characteristics that you may not have realized can also help you land a job:

1. An ambidextrous brain.

"We live in a world increasingly dominated by data, but if all you can do is read a spreadsheet, you won't reach the highest level," writes Sir Martin Sorrell, founder and CEO of WPP, a multinational advertising and public relations company, in a recent LinkedIn post. "Success in business means being able — as Roger Martin of the Rotman School of Management puts it — to appreciate qualities, not just quantities."

The intangibles of judgment, creativity, intuition, and imagination, he says, are essential for great leaders, "because they are the things that make innovation happen." And they're "just as important as logic, financial literacy, and an eye for detail."

2. The ability to argue.

It's annoying when people disagree with you, Sorrell explains, "but an argument is usually a more constructive exchange than a conversation in which everyone wholeheartedly agrees with each other." Plus, an ability to argue shows you're passionate and willing to fight for what you believe it.

"If a leader is surrounded by yes people they learn nothing," he says. "Good people know how to stand their ground and make their case — even (especially) when others don't want to hear what they're saying."

But just remember that in arguing, especially at work, you should always be smart, effective, rational, and cordial.

3. Fast decision-making skills.

"I used to say, perhaps unwisely, that a bad decision on Monday is better than a good decision on Friday," Sorrell says. "With the benefit of hindsight I might have modified that to 'an imperfect decision on Monday is better than the 100% perfect decision on Friday.' Either way, you get the point."

He says if and when you take too much time to make a decision, "others are getting on with things and building a lead."